1 . A mother of nine started medical school, graduated with her degree and plans to be a neurosurgeon (神经外科医生).
Sarah Merrill, now 41, said her journey to medical school began at age 17. She then met her husband and got married. But she decided to follow her dream of attending medical school. Certainly, it was a challenge. She owed her success to her husband’s approval. “When I was accepted by the Medicine School, we moved from Pennsylvania to Arizona to start my internship (实习). In fact, they volunteered these movements. I know it was tough for all of us.” said Merrill.
Merrill and her children often have “homework parties” where they study their own courses. Merrill’s choice has given a stimulus to her children. Merrill felt touched when knowing her daughter and son want to become a doctor.
Merrill’s next step will come into a male-dominated field where women doctors only take up 5%. Dr. Halyard at the Medicine School said Merrill was known as a focused student and added, “If you have the ability to deal with nine children, the internship should be a piece of cake because no amount of stress will make you fail.”
Merrill had considered choosing a more family-friendly major, but, again, chose to dream big and follow her original pursuit. It’s the same advice she would give to all. “Set the goal that is what you’re really enthusiastic about, and it helps to think small. If you know what your priorities are, focus on the next step. Then you’ll get where you want to go.”
1. Why does Merrill speak of their movements?| A．To show the support of her family. |
| B．To stress her determination to be a doctor. |
| C．To reflect difficulties in attending college. |
| D．To describe the process of pursuing her dream. |
| A．Commitment. | B．Inspiration. |
| C．Entertainment. | D．Confusion. |
| A．Merrill will have more stress to handle. |
| B．Being Mom makes Merrill a better doctor. |
| C．Staying focused and sensible is key to success. |
| D．She is confident of Merrill’s being a neurosurgeon. |
| A．Starting with important things. |
| B．Getting your priorities right. |
| C．Being true to your passion. |
| D．Having the courage to dream big. |
2 . In the hands of Chinese sill artisans(手艺人), flour is made into lovely models of people or animals. This art form is called dough figurine(面塑). Among the various styles, Beijing’s Dough Figurine Lang is a unique folk art. His delicate and lovely handicrafts are storytellers of old and new Beijing. In 2008, it was included in the list of national intangible cultural heritage.
It was created by Lang Shao’an. He created animals and characters from legends, historical stories, and local operas. The finished product is either put at the end of a thin stick, or on a table for display. Some are mostly for children to eat or play with, with simple forms and vivid decorations, while some are delicate pieces of artwork for display only. For this reason, during the making process they are often mixed with additives(添加剂)to prevent them from breaking up, and being eaten by insects. Over the course of his long career, Lang Shao’an developed a set of sill fingers with an elegant artistic sense.
Lang Jiaziyu, born in 1995, is the third-generation inheritor of Dough Figurine Lang. When he was 15, he created Beijing Olympic Mascot shaped dough figurines which were highly praised. He looks a bit more fashionable than other folk artisans. In his skilled hands, some figures such as Nezhe are popular with young people.
Like most of the other intangible cultural heritage handicrafts in China, Dough Figurine Lang does not get as much attention from the public. Few young people are willing to take the time to master a skill that does not make money, which has led to a decline in the number of those who are devoted to the handicraft. Good handicrafts need the devotion of artisans from one generation to another.
1. What is special about Dough Figurine Lang?| A．It reflects Beijing’s culture. |
| B．It is created by many famous artists. |
| C．It shows people’s lifestyles and beliefs. |
| D．It is popular with both tourists and the locals. |
| A．To make dough figurines taste good. |
| B．To keep colors brighter and last longer. |
| C．To better preserve the finished products. |
| D．To help shape dough into various forms. |
| A．Suggestions for other folk artisans. |
| B．Different art styles of dough figurines. |
| C．The popularity of modern dough figurines. |
| D．Lang Jiaziyu’s achievements as an artisan. |
| A．To call on people to master a skill. |
| B．To appeal to people to value this folk art. |
| C．To teach people ways to appreciate the handicraft. |
| D．To persuade people to protect national cultural heritage. |
3 . Art is everywhere. Any public space has been carefully designed by an artistic mind to be both functional and beautiful. Then why is art still widely considered “the easy subject” at school, insignificant to wider society, a waste of time and effort?
Art can connect culture with commercial products; art generates money and holds significant emotional and cultural value within communities. When people attend a concert, they are paying for music, maybe even hotel rooms, meals, and transport, but they also gain an incredible experience.
What’s more, the arts can bring communities together, reducing loneliness and making people feel safer. Social bonds are created among individuals when they share their arts’ experiences through reflection and discussion, and their expression of common values.
The arts clearly have a pretty positive impact on physical and psychological health. It is found that people who frequent cultural places or participate in artistic events are more likely to gain good health compared to those who do not; more engagement with the arts is linked to a higher level of people’s well-being. The Public Health discovered that music and art, when used in hospitals, help to improve the conditions of patients by reducing stress, anxiety and blood pressure.
Children who are involved with the arts make greater achievements in their education: those engaged with drama have greater literary ability while others taking part in musical practice exhibit greater skills in math and languages. Kids with preference for the arts have a greater chance of finding employment in the future. Participating in the arts is essential for child development; encouraging children to express themselves in constructive ways could help to form healthy emotional responses in later life.
Vital to human life, art is celebrated and used across the world. Life without art would be boring, for art is a part of what makes us human.
1. Art products differ from most other commercial products because _______.| A．their prices may climb up as time passes |
| B．most people purchase them for collection |
| C．they are more expensive and less accessible |
| D．they have both commercial and cultural values |
| A．develop a stronger tie between them |
| B．keep the community safe from illnesses |
| C．learn to appreciate their own works of art |
| D．offer honourable solutions to their problems |
| A．It helps to make responsible people out of them. |
| B．It inspires their creativity in designing their future career. |
| C．It promotes their academic performance and emotional growth. |
| D．It gives them more confidence in exhibiting their learning skills. |
| A．How Art Cures Our Hearts |
| B．How Art Benefits Communities |
| C．Art: A Bridge Between Cultures |
| D．Art: A Blessing to Humankind |
1. Where is the woman’s garden?
| A．On her roof. | B．Behind the river. | C．In front of her house. |
| A．Her father. | B．Her neighbour. | C．Her cousin. |
| A．Classmates. |
| B．Colleagues. |
| C．Neighbours. |
| A．Turn in her report to Smith. |
| B．Take her daughter to hospital. |
| C．Go to a meeting instead of her. |
| A．At 7:30. |
| B．At 8:30. |
| C．At 9:30. |
| A．She is eager to spend money. |
| B．She hates lending money. |
| C．She likes saving money. |
| A．He knocked down a table. |
| B．He bought a new cup. |
| C．He broke a cup. |
Once when I was a teenager, my father and I were standing in line to buy tickets for the circus (马戏团) . Finally, there was only one family between us and the ticket counter (柜台).
This family made a big impression on me. There were eight children, all probably under the age of twelve. You could tell they didn’t have a lot of money.
Their clothes were not expensive, but they were clean. The children were well-behaved, all of them standing in line, two-by-two behind their parents, holding hands. They were excitedly talking about the clowns. elephants, and other acts they would see that night with their brothers or sisters in a low voice.
One could sense they had never been to the circus before. It promised to be highlight of their young lives. The father and mother were at the head of the pack, standing proud as could be. The mother was holding her husband’s hand, looking up at him as if to say, “You are my knight (骑士) in shining armor (盔甲).”
He was smiling and responding in pride, looking back at her as if to say, “You got that right” . The ticket lady asked the father how many tickets he wanted. He proudly responded, “Please let me buy eight child tickets and two adult tickets so I can take my family to the circus.”
The ticket lady gave the price. The man’s wife let go of his hand, her head dropped, and his lips began to shake. The father leaned (倾斜) a little closer and asked. “How much do you say?”
The ticket lady again quoted (报价) the price. The man didn’t have enough money.
How was he supposed to turn around and tell his eight children that he didn’t have enough money to take them to the circus?
Actually we were not wealthy in any sense. So I understand how the kids would feel. I felt sorry for them.
注意：续写词数应为80左右。Seeing what was going on, my dad put his hand in his pocket, pulled out a $20 bill and dropped it on the ground.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________That day my father and I went back to our car and drove home without any tickets.
